NEW DELHI: Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Friday directed the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to conduct a probe into allegations of “corruption and collusion” of transport department officials with auto financers and unauthorised dealers at Burari Transport Authority.
Sources said the directions were given in the wake of a Delhi High Court’s order on a criminal writ petition filed by several autorickshaw unions alleging large-scale corruption at the regional transport office (RTO) and consequent harassment of auto drivers. “The LG has directed ACB to complete the investigation and submit a comprehensive report within a month,” said a source privy to the development.
Delhi government’s Directorate of Vigilance examined the case and observed that the petitioners had levelled “serious allegations of large-scale corruption” at the RTO as well as the “misdeeds impacting auto drivers”.
“The complaint of the drivers says permits of three-seater autorickshaws were illegally transferred on default of payment of loan in cahoots with the MLO and RTO officials. “The Directorate of Vigilance observed that the complaint was serious in nature, so it proposed to refer the same to ACB. This was endorsed by chief secretary Naresh Kumar,” claimed a Raj Niwas official.
The directorate noted that the transport department had in August 2012 made it a condition that financiers of autorickshaws would be non-financial banking companies, but several proprietorship firms were financing the purchase of autorickshaws and thereafter filing court cases to recover loan payments from defaulting drivers.
Raj Niwas sources said the high court had directed Delhi Police, the transport department and Directorate of Vigilance “to proceed with the investigation with the angles of crime as well as corruption”.
“The high court also directed Delhi Police to forward the petition to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office of Economic Offences Wing for necessary action,” said the Raj Niwas source.
There was no immediate reaction from Delhi government to TOI’s queries regarding the issue.
